After making several visits to the institution MRCT organised a UK holiday for some of its residents and staff and a separate visit for the director of the home to review areas of work being carried out in this country with people with a disability.  Much was learnt during these visits and a partnership was formed which helped to establish the charities first FULLIFE Poland project at DPS which opened in January 2003.  The work was also undertaken in partnership with Koszalin Baptist Church who provided Dorota and Bogusha, our first Polish Activity Support Workers.

MRCT set up a sensory room and daily activity programme at DPS for 31 residents with profound physical and learning disabilities, many of whom had previously had no daily stimulation or social interaction.

There were many challenges

as our work often kicked against old communist working styles, which were inherent in staff for many years, but gradually MRCT made progress and most importantly the residents began to be appreciated and valued as individuals in their own right, and their lives began to change.  This work continued until November 2006 after DPS had developed their own sensory room and were in a better position to carry out their own daily programme with residents of the home.

In January 2007 MRCT began working at the Educational Childcare Centre (ECC) in Slupsk which was a school for over 400 children who also had a wide range of mental, physical and learning disabilities. This work was undertaken in partnership with Slupsk Pentecostal Church who provided Ewa and Gosia to work as Activity Support Workers at the school. 

The aim of this project

was to set up a sensory room and daily activity programme to work with a small group of profoundly disabled children who previously were limited in their school attendance due to a lack of service provision for their individual needs.  The programme was set up to run for two years and has been a great success as the ECC was the first school in Poland to have its own sensory room, which greatly benefited its pupils.

Over the period of the FULLIFE Poland programme many more disabled children were supported than first recognised and it also helped to establish and support an "Early Integration Programme" which was set up in 2008 for disabled children from the ages of 2-5 who visited the school as part of their preparation for school life in the future. 

As the programme was nearing its completion in March 2009 the ECC set up its own sensory room after seeing the benefits of the FULLIFE Poland programme, which again was very encouraging to see.

It has been very clear to see that many hundreds of Polish people, young and old, have greatly benefited from the charities FULLIFE Poland project and many seeds have been sown to continue this working model in Poland in the future.  Both DPS and the ECC now have their own sensory room which is very encouraging as we complete our work in Poland.  MRCT has also helped to establish positive church links in the community where we have been working in Poland, which we pray will continue.

Special thanks go the the many people who have given up their own personal time and finances to support this work valuable work which we know will now progress in Poland in the years ahead.

Gary Knott
Director of Community Services

Read more about FULLIFE Poland

>> more

FULLIFE Poland does make a difference!

>> more

MRCT team create a sensory room in Slupsk, Poland

>> more

More news and articles from MRCT

>> more